Historically, mead is a traditional “home-made drink” that guests were usually treated to at public events.
Almost everyone in the past knew how to make mead at home . The secret of its preparation is that with the natural fermentation of honey and water, a liquid of a characteristic shade and with a specific smell is obtained. It should be noted that, having excellent taste characteristics, mead is an excellent therapeutic agent. And if it’s now common to treat colds with a large number of medicines, then many years ago this drink was used instead.
How to make mead at home? To do this, we need clean filtered water (it is better to buy the highest quality in the supermarket). Of course, our ancestors used pure spring water (or from a well), but in this case there is no particular choice. Still need 5 liters of water. Honey needs about 1 kg, one teaspoon of yeast, 2 six-liter pots (a larger capacity can be used), 1 sieve, a five-liter capacity and thin rubber medical tubes.
When making a drink, it is permissible to add a little coriander and barberry to give a special flavor (only 1 tbsp each). Some add orange peels, but this is unnecessary, as they “smear” the true taste.
So, from the theory of how to make mead at home, let's get down to practice. 7-8 tablespoons of the total amount of honey set aside to use later. We put most of the honey in the pan, then fill it with water and put on fire. Stir until completely dissolved. When it has completely dissolved, add the rest of the water and wait until the liquid boils (the mead should boil over low heat!). Periodically remove the film with a spoon. After 20 minutes of boiling add barberry and coriander (if desired).
After 1 hour of boiling, remove the pan. The resulting liquid must be drained through a sieve into another same pan and, again putting on fire, bring to a boil.
Next, pour 350 grams of wort into a previously prepared container. We cover the dishes with a lid and wait until it cools down to 30 degrees. Can be put in cold water to speed up cooling. After that we add yeast, mix with must and wait 15-20 minutes. Then we pour the resulting mixture into a pot with a must and again we mix well.
The principle of how to cook mead further is already understood by most. We take pre-prepared rubber tubes and a 5-liter bottle. We pierce a hole in the bottle cap, insert a tube into it. Its second end is placed in a jar of water. It is clear that for a long time there were no cans or tubes like that. And to the question of how to make mead at home, we would receive slightly different instructions. But the result will be the same.
Next, just transfer the mead for 2 weeks to a dark, cool place to ferment the wort. Then you need to take the bottles and another tube, with a weight attached to it. We insert this end with a small weight into a container with a must, and put the second in our mouths and pull in a little. As soon as the wort runs, we bottle it. Having tested the strength of the cooked honey, you can dilute it with water and boil. After bottling the finished drink, put it in a dark room for another 2 weeks.
That's all the tricks of how to cook mead at home.